Barbara Bouchey to begin expose series on Frank Report

Barbara Bouchey is coming out swinging and is set to write a series of stories for Frank Report about Nxivm and her inside knowledge of the allegedly criminal self-improvement organization that has been widely viewed as a cult.

She will be introducing her series of articles on Frank Report to help clarify the record, as she sees it, and educate readers on her role and views of Nxivm and Keith Raniere.

Up to this point, many people see the “arc” of the NXIVM “take down” story as:

Toni Natalie is the true heroine having endured 20 years of Keith’s legal attacks and stalking. Because of her bravery in fighting Keith, and her constant, almost guerrilla warfare tactics, she played a significant role in building the foundation that Raniere is a louse and a criminal that all subsequent critics and the media built upon.

She was the pioneer in the fight and kept the fight alive to expose Keith when no one dared to say a word about him. She has been aided and abetted for years by her friend, Joe O’Hara.

In 2017, Frank Parlato’s Frank Report blog broke the branding story that was key in the exposure of Nxivm and break-up of the cult.

Sarah Edmondson and Mark Vicente are heroes for having led the revolution that got 100s out of NXIVM.

This concerted effort of the above-named people, as the narrative goes, resulted in Keith et al. being arrested. And some have said Barbara Bouchey is nowhere in that story.

Others argue that Barbara is indeed one of the true fighters and heroes who helped bring Keith down and deserves to be credited alongside Natalie, O’Hara, Parlato, Edmondson, Vicente, and Oxenberg.

This is part of the reason why it will be most informative to hear straight from Barbara what her role was during and after her days in Nxivm.

As far as helping to take Raniere down, here are some examples of what she did:

She left boldly and decisively in 2009, bringing eight other major Nxivm women with her. Barbara did not leave quietly but purposefully and demanded restitution from Raniere. She boldly left because of his philandering and unethical behavior and said so – to his face.

She had a major role in closing down two centers and as many as 100 others exited because of her.

After she left, she endured a half dozen Nxivm/Bronfman lawsuits and a complaint filed against her with her Certified Financial Planners Ethics Board, which was subsequently dropped.

Barbara was dragged into four other lawsuits as a hostile witness, was falsely arrested on computer trespass charges and had her passport taken from her for more than a year. The charges were later dropped when Clare Bronfman was caught lying to authorities.

As far as Barb knows, there were at least five attempts by Bronfman/Nxivm with various law enforcement agencies to have her arrested for extortion, and there are Mexican extortion charges potentially still pending.

Instead of settling the lawsuits and being quiet, she continued to expose the dark side of Raniere. Her court filings contained revelations of NXIVM’s inner world that the media reported. She also repeatedly shared her experiences in direct interviews with the media, most notably with James Odato of the Albany Times Union.

Barbara also made repeated attempts to work with law enforcement, having numerous meetings, and spending her own money to fly back to Albany to meet with several government agencies – including the FBI, NYS Attorney General’s Office, US Attorney General’s Office, Customs, Immigration, IRS and NYS Taxation Dept. Somehow, possibly due to the suspiciously protective of NXIVM nature of Albany law enforcement, she was not immediately successful.

In addition, in June 2010, Joe O’Hara, Barb and their attorneys met the Albany Asst DA to open a RICO case.

Joe then used the same information to try to persuade the NYS AG, writing repeatedly to the NYS AG Office to try to get them interested in stopping Raniere and company before they did something drastic.

Joe and Barb literally laid out much of the same RICO case the DOJ is presently prosecuting Nxivm leaders for, but at the Albany level, it went nowhere.

Too bad. How many women would not have escaped being blackmailed, branded, sex trafficked and other horrors had authorities in Albany been willing to listen to much of the same evidence that the DOJ in Brooklyn is now using to prosecute Raniere.

In February 2011, Barb went to the NYS AG Office. This time they actually opened an investigation. She brought in other witnesses – Susan Dones, Joe O’Hara, Toni Natalie, but, unsurprisingly, again it went nowhere.

In August 2015, Barb got in again to see the AG and after some 12 hours of giving them loads of information about Raniere’s massive crimes, they again decided not to pursue him.

Barb’s NYC attorney, Pamela Hayes, using some of her law enforcement connections, wrote to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s special counsel, resulting in a lengthy dialog about how DOS only scratched the surface of Raniere’s crimes and that NXIVM was a RICO organization.

The special counsel referred Pam Hayes to Brooklyn Federal Prosecutor Moira Penza and their conversations may have been the impetus, or at least helped to fuel the fire, for DOJ prosecutors to go full steam ahead and stop Raniere.

Barb also had a hand in bringing in one of the first and most important DOS victim/witnesses to the DOJ through an attorney she persuaded the victim to retain.

Now, the time has come for Barbara to write about her experiences in Nxivm and clarify the record on Frank Report, leading up to her appearance at the TU panel event March 18.

Frank Report is expecting several posts from her, which I am sure readers will enjoy and find informative.

In the past, when I wrote about Barbara, or when she wrote something here, there seems to have been a cadre of anonymous “Barbara haters” who posted negative comments about her.

For these new Barbara’s posts, Frank Report will make a departure from its normal commenting policy to ward off a potential smear campaign.

Our usual policy is to screen comments and allow any that are not too insulting or off-topic to appear. Normally, we allow anonymous commenters to say things that are pretty unruly – and as Scott Johnson points out – it’s easy to be brave when you’re anonymous.

For Barb’s new posts, I am going to ask for civility from anonymous commenters. Especially if anyone plans to make blatant, unprovable attacks on her.

If anyone truly wants to make serious allegations against her character, or conduct, then I am going to request they use their real names and be prepared to prove it, or debate it with Barb, who stands ready to answer questions and defend herself from attacks from those who at least have the courage to do so in their own names.

You can still disagree with the content or the premises Barb makes, anonymously, if you wish – but you must do it respectfully.

As for blatant insults, slurs, innuendos, or downright allegations of wrongdoing, or disputing her veracity, anonymity won’t do. Back it up with facts and your name, please.

About the author

Frank Parlato

93 Comments

“Sarah Edmondson and Mark Vicente are heroes for having led the revolution that got 100s out of NXIVM.”

Not heroes. Both ignored things for years. Sarah Edmondson knew she would face some repercussions for leaving two months after realising whose initials were branded on her flesh and went to the press to save herself. Mark Vicente also. They were top NXIVM people and leaving in protest would of meant punishment of some sort. They stayed in for years and must of known about crimes. Both Mark Vicente and his own mother were named in Joe O’Hara’s lawsuit and John Tighe said Vicente’s mother was involved with the PO Box money laundering from Mexico. This is not a heroic act. You don’t spend over fifteen years in NXIVM at a high level, know nothing, ignore bad stuff, profit from bad stuff and then play the hero “whistleblower” card. What would Sarah Edmondson have done if she was not branded? Look at Mark Vicentes twitter page. He is a virtue signaller and likes to shit on Trump and others to feel morally righteous.

All of these “heros” better be ready to fall on their sword when it comes to admitting what they were taught, such as not paying taxes, and then telling the truth about whether they followed the teaching, and what they did immediately after hearing illegal things being promoted. Otherwise, they are “zeros, not “heros” in my book.

Dear tex2,
It sounds like you believe many of us did not pay taxes? I have been accused on this blog of not reporting 1099 commissions and not paying taxes. This is untrue and I reported paying my taxes every year. But, I will share a few things. Somewhere in my second year while on a walk with Keith, he offered to not have a 1099 issued for what I recall was $10,000 in commissions earned that year. I was surprised asking how was that possible and it’s illegal. He said that he could arrange for it. At the time, I thought he was only offering because I was his girlfriend and somehow wanted to do that for me. I emphatically said NO. My career as a Certified Financial Planner and Investment Adviser was one where I advised people with their finances. What would it say about me to not appropriately report commissions? And, I was grossing $1.0 million at the time from my asset mgmt company (long before I ever met Keith) and how stupid would that be to risk not reporting $10,000 when I was earning far more? I had no idea if he made that offer to others. What I do know is there was a book called Jekyll of Creature Island and a movie out by Michael Moore talking about how one could choose to not file a tax return. Keith wanted to experiment and I learned that Dawn Morrison (one of his inner circle) who was earning very little money, started to not file tax returns. I am aware that Keith thought our government was corrupt and did a lousy job of handling it’s budget and taxpayer monies. I am not aware during the time I was involved nor in the workshops, where it was “taught” to not pay taxes. It wasn’t until years later after quitting NXIVM, that Kristin Keeffe (inner circle who oversaw all the lawsuits for Keith & Bronfmans) had left NXIVM. She revealed to me just how much corruption was going on within the inner operations of NXIVM, money coming over the Mexican border, NXIVM not filing tax returns, double sets of books in some of the other companies Keith created. I was shocked to learn this, and that it was going on while I was involved! There is a court filing containing a 2.5 hour dialog between Kristin Keeffe and myself in March 2015 when she wanted to make me the “steward” of the corruption knowledge she possessed believing I was the most creditable person who could get into a govt agency with this information. Which by the way, I did. And so, what I can say is it is often propagated Keith was teaching everyone to not pay taxes, and there is a big misconception by readers of this blog is was rampant. However, it was not. It appears based on what Keeffe revealed to me it was going on in a smaller domain of people within Keith’s fold. Thank you for your question and I hope this might clarify things a little more for you.

About what year was the stroll with Raniere when he made the offer? I’ve tried reading the transcript of your discussion with Keeffe, I keep falling asleep. I’ll try again. Is there an audio recording? The fact that you didn’t try to straighten out the tax discussion before is a huge disservice to this website’s effort in going after Raniere & Co. You allowed a lot of energy to be expended that shouldn’t have been, if you’re telling the truth.

There you have it, folks. Barb said not paying taxes wasn’t taught in NXIVM courses. If you claim it was, provide evidence, including what year you were taught. Just because you were taught this after Barb left doesn’t equal that she is lying. It also doesn’t mean she isn’t lying, it means we need more facts. By the way, I changed my ID to Scott Johnson on this account to minimize confusion.

It seems to me that you assume members ignored and or knew of the corruption within NXIVM? I cannot speak for what Sarah Edmondson or Mark Vicente knew or may have become aware of in the 10 years since I left – but – I can speak for the 9 years I was involved.

I, along with most members, did NOT know of the inner operations containing corruption. I was never even allowed in their financial office nor to see financial statements or privy to their operations. Many believe given my career as a Financial Planner and Keith’s girlfriend, that I was aware or participated, however, I did not. You see, Keith knew how to boundary test people’s morality and ethics, and only brought into his fold those who would go along with his “way” of doing things. The majority of members stayed because WE did the majority of the work, taking workshops, teaching, and enrollments which based on our experience was very positive. WE believed in the overall philosophy that the workshops helped people, empowered them, resolved conflicts, developed better relationships, removed fears and limitations – all to make a positive difference in our lives and those of others. In effect, WE the good people with good intentions doing the good work were the “sheep’s clothing” disguising unknowingly the “wolf” Keith Raniere.

As in any marriage, friendship, relationship, business, job, and organization there are good and bad things. One continually evaluates the pros and cons to either stay – or – decide the cons outweigh the pros ending the relationship. And, so be true within NXIVM. When I left, I influenced 8 key women (The NXIVM 9) to leave with me shutting down two centers and causing 100 people to leave while opening up Pandora’s Box of NXIVM. This was after I gathered them together so we could collectively share what we could “see” were abuses, punishment, favoritism, unethical conduct and what we deemed was Keith’s abuse of leadership, power and authority. WE met with Keith for 10.5 hours to address our concerns with solutions we thought could remedy the issues. However, for the first time WE got to witness Keith in a way most had never been able to. WE observed him deny, refute, lie and blame me for filling these 8 women with false data, misleading them, and trying to destroy the company wrongfully. It was then that our eyes were “open” to this other dark side of Keith. WE immediately resigned, closed our centers, and began a campaign to inform and educate as many as we could to the reasons we were resigning. Many of us continued in that campaign to help others “wake up” lasting to this day.

Yes, we were ignorant to this darker, insidious side of Keith and his inner circle because they cleverly concealed it. Yes, we were denied critical facts in order to make well-informed decisions about our association with NXIVM. But, WE did not know at that time the degrees of hidden abuse and corruption within NXIVM.

Is Sarah, Mark or I heroes? Some say we are, and some share a similar view as you. However, I strongly believe if you “knew” all that we “knew” at the time, your view might be different. It is my hope that with further knowledge that maybe you, along with others, might become better informed as to how NXIVM could last as long as it did, and how many of us were involved for so long for what we perceived were good reasons. Hopefully, you might remain open, reserve judgment, and re-evaluate your views after more of the NXIVM story comes out.

I imagine the Dalai Lama’s appearance in 2009 for NXIVM helped convince some doubtful members that NXIVM was an ethical organization and you defectors were just disgruntled and jealous. After all – it’s the Dalai Lama

There is an interesting backstory to the Dalai Lama Event, which on a later post I will share more as I am intimately familiar with it.

Needless to say, it was a few weeks before the Dalai Lama’s appearance in Albany that I invited 22 NXIVM members to participate in a forum at my house to openly, collectively discuss issues within the organization. I knew most were coming in for the event, and thought it was a good time to gather them together.

Eventually, it came down to nine women, who have since been called the NXIVM 9. I knew this event was critical to Keith and his belief that it would put him on a world stage seen as an ethical leader of the likes of the Dalai Lama. I had one foot out the door, and Keith knew he was on tenacious ground with me fearing that if I left – that I could potentially bring the whole organization down. And so, I was able to persuade him to meet with the NXIVM 9. We held 10.5 hours of meetings with Keith (all filmed by the way which I keep protected), that resulted in us observing his behavior, manipulation, lies, denial and abnegation of responsibility – that we then concluded he was “crazy” and would “never change” and was “the problem.” WE immediately resigned on April 24, 2009. He feared I would disrupt the upcoming Dalai Lama event, and set about with drastic measures to stop me serving me legal papers within 18 hours of resigning threatening civil and criminal actions for bogus extortion and to destroy his company. Within 36 hours he brought the community together weaving a fantastical tale about my being a criminal, a suppressive (aka sociopath) and that I “beguiled” and “mislead” the other 8 women – and to uphold a principle I needed to be arrested. Little did I know that Keith had carefully conspired 2-3 years earlier with a smear campaign against me portraying me as a suppressive trying to destroy the company, and had enrolled others to believe it was true like Mark Vicente. When I resigned, he kicked into high gear and the dominoes crumbled, and I was overnight shunned, betrayed, and most members would not talk to me to hear “why” I and the other 8 women left. And so, he saved the day for the Dalai Lama event that occurred two weeks later on May 6, 2009. They used that event to foster within the community what an ethical, noble humanitarian Keith was. The Dalai Lama even wrote the foreword to his book, which was released and sold at the event. Ever since, they have “milked” that 45 minute public appearance by the Dalai Lama to instill in the minds of people Keith was good, and the NXIVM 9 were not to be believed – nor any of the highly controversial facts that had emerged. Stay tuned for more on this topic.

Dear tex2,
Yes, let’s get down to specifics, and let me share what I know in regards to not paying taxes.

During my 9 yrs at NXIVM, I am not aware of any workshop material that “taught” people nor coaches to “not pay taxes.”

However, I did observe things regarding this topic within Keith’s inner circle. Here is what I recall:

After a couple years of being involved, Keith became intrigued with a best-selling book called “Creature from Jekyll Island” written by G. Edward Griffin, which is kind of conspiracy theory explaining the roots of all modern American wars, depression, economic boom, and best-kept secrets of international banking. It’s an expose of the Federal Reserve, how it got formed by an exclusive boys-club gathering of American financiers and politicians. In fact, I brought Griffin in as a speaker for a Vanguard Week.

Then, Keith became enamoured with a Michael Moore documentary (maybe The Corporation?) which somewhere in it spoke of a law whereby a USA citizen isn’t required to file a tax return.

Later on I learned that Keith asked one of his inner circle women, Dawn Morrison, who worked for an advertising company not earning much money, to experiment by not filing a tax return following the guidelines of the documentary to see if it would work. I want to say she did it the next year, too, but am unaware of the outcome?

Once, I recall being on a walk with Keith and he offered to not give me a 1099 for commissions I earned around $10,000. I was shocked saying that was illegal and how could he do such a thing? At the time, I was grossing $1.0 million in my company, and this would be wrong and risky to do – not to mention absurd to jeopardise my business. He just dropped the topic and never mentioned it again. Understand, Keith boundary tested people’s morality and ethics. Clearly, I was not on board with tax evasion, and never heard another word on the topic again. This is also why Keith NEVER allowed me in the finance office.

Footnote: My earnings was a result of 15 years in business and BEFORE the Bronfmans or any NXIVM member became a client. Except, Nancy Salzman who invested a small IRA in the early 90s before she ever met Keith.

I recall another walk with Keith where he mentioned due to their suing Rick Ross (cult expert deprogrammer) that they were subpoenaed for tax returns, and stated they had not done one in a few years filing extensions debating what was owed with the IRS.

Keith did propagate within the inner circle that the government was lousy, didn’t manage taxpayer monies well, and was corrupt expressing he’d like to give them as little money as possible.

It wasn’t until 5 yrs after leaving NXIVM that I learned of Keith’s tactics of not paying taxes. In March 2015, Kristin Keeffe and I had a dialog about this. She left NXIVM the year before and after failed attempts to get the Feds to open an investigation offering her immunity she gave up hope telling me she moved to Ireland to protect herself and son (Keith’s child). However, she wanted to make me the “steward” of her NXIVM criminal knowledge stating I was the most creditable person likely to gain access to the Feds and do something (she was aware of my 8 govt agency mtgs). I taped and transcribed this call, and then a judge ordered me to submit it as evidence in Oct 2015. This transcript has since been widely circulated and is easily found online. If you read or listen to the audio, it is blatantly clear that I had NO clue of any of this corruption going on – and even while involved! If I didn’t know being in the inner circle, then you can surmise MOST members did not know either. In fact, I wasn’t aware of anyone who did, and if they did then the rule was don’t tell Barbara.

And so, it is my opinion that this gets exaggerated by certain people and the misconception is it was wide spread and widely “taught.” Now, I cannot attest to what happened in the ten years since I left, and or, if the current group of people leaving like Sarah Edmondson and Mark Vicente didn’t “pay taxes.” But, I suspect this is false propaganda and they did declare and pay taxes. Perhaps, you can ask them and maybe they will comment?

Barbara, like you said, you left years ago. Mark Vicente, his mother, Sarah Edmondson’s husband “Nippy” Ames and many others were named in Joe OHara’s lawsuit. How could they not know? Allison Mack was named in said lawsuit and three years later, was forming DOS.

John Tighe said those on Necker Island plotted money laundering. Is he lying? Why would he?

Not to mention, those who stayed with him after numerous women spoke of his pedophilia and rape, along with police report.

Being named in a lawsuit does not equal being served. How would they know they were named in a lawsuit? Do you know how many lawsuits are floating around at any given time? How do you know that YOU are not named in a lawsuit right now? Where did Tigue get his information from? We have no idea whether he’s lying. Perhaps he has a character flaw and is a liar. We don’t know. How do you know these people became aware of the “numerous women” who spoke of Raniere’s pedophilia and rape? Raniere taught that underage sex is okay. Why would Raniere’s loyal followers have an issue with him having sex with young girls? Or older multiple sex partners? Who goes and reads police reports? Do you understand how naive your questions are?

Your comment suggests that you think that Sarah Edmondson and Mark Vicente went along with things as long as they were “making money and feeling insulated from authorities?” Let me share my experience first.

During my 9 years at NXIVM, they, and others (including myself) did make money. However, speaking for myself, the only money I earned was from commissions on those enrolled. At the time, I was grossing $1.0 million from my asset mgmt. company (before ever meeting Keith or Bronfmans). After a year being involved with NXIVM, I decided to stop taking on new clients ($1.0 million was plenty of money annually), and with that free time devoted it to working and building NXIVM. Most do NOT know this, but I was NOT paid for most of the work I did. Why? Because, like I said, grossing $1.0 million from my company was great money. My choice was to do something philanthropic, to give back to my community, to make a difference in the world – and making money from that was NOT my motivation. The jobs I performed and did NOT get paid for included: I put in organizational structure so it was more professional, I helped create committees and ran many of them, I supervised and coached many people, I enrolled, I did weekly intro calls for anyone who wanted to learn more, I oversaw sales & marketing, developed the social events, holiday parties and ran them, I created and ran Vanguard Week, I was on the Executive Board, and developed and supervised the NXIVM Café.

What I do know, and observed, is there were many people who belonged to NXIVM and didn’t earn much money – and many didn’t care – and many wanted to do it because it felt purposeful and meaningful (not unlike volunteering for a good cause). At the same time, many were not enrollers, or trained enough to teach, or to perform other jobs. In addition, Keith’s business model sucked, which I constantly was complaining about as lots of coaches facilitated training and did not get paid. There is more to this that I will elaborate in another post. But, the point that I am making is that almost everyone who became a high level coach did so because it was purposeful, they were selfless, caring, generous, intelligent, genuine humanitarians who wanted to make a positive difference in their lives, and in the world.

My personal experience of Sarah and Mark while I was involved, is they, too, shared that view. I assure you that MOST of us were not there for the “money.” I certainly was not because if I devoted half the time I did within NXIVM instead building my company that I would have easily grossed $2.0 million. Happiness, peace, love, and living a purposeful life does not come from money.

As for Sarah Edmondson, let me have you consider this: Sarah lived in Vancouver, three thousand miles from NXIVM headquarters, and was not part of the inner-circle nor intimately involved with Keith. Because of that, her Center was able to grow as the shenanigans of Keith’s inner kingdom did NOT exist there. Sarah had over 200 members in her Center and developed an amazing community. After 13 years of honest, hard work trying to better herself and others, she was grossing $30,000 a month. Had a wonderful husband, a two year old son, a beautiful home on the harbor, and a great life.

Then, she came home with a brand cauterized on her private parts after being coerced, manipulated, and scared. That is when her husband Anthony and her realized something was seriously wrong. But, in order to do something about it, they had to FIRST evaluate that they would being giving up 13 years building a business, income, friends, and a community they loved. Effectively, GIVE IT ALL UP AND START FROM SCRATCH. And so, I assure you it was NOT an easy thing. However, even though 80% was good, the 20% was so bad that they could no longer stay at NXIVM. Add in the knowledge that should they leave, that Keith might very well come after them with a vengeance just as he did to me – and they were rightfully, understandably terrified.

Now, they could have gone quiet into the night, only taking themselves, not caring about anyone else, nor give a hoot about Keith and his abusive ways. But, THEY DID NOT DO THAT. Instead, they made a brave and courageous decision to leave with a bang, and to take as many members with them as they could, which was hundreds. And, knew the risk of doing so was legal action that would last for years.

And so, in my eyes THEY WERE HEROIC FIGURES. In the eyes of many others who “know” more of the inner world of NXIVM and what great risks they took THEY ARE HEROES.

As for what they did, or did not know about “crimes” only they can answer. Hopefully, when the trial is over (and Keith is in jail), they might answer your question directly.

Thank you for your comment, and should you want to ask a more specific question I have not quite answered, then please do.

Barbara, what about John Tighe’s claim that Siohban Hotaling was a money mule coaching in Vancouver on a tourist visa (illegal) and taking Canadian dollars across the US-Canada border? She was named in O’Haras lawsuit too. If Canadian dollars went to the US, surely Edmondson would know.

Mark Vicente spent enough time with Raniere that he probably can see the similarities between Raniere and Trump and the blind loyalty of some of Trumps followers who come off like Pea. If people criticize NXIVM members for not believing or leaving after the Times Union expose, what do people say about the people still supporting Trump after the countless articles written about him, his businesses, his finances, and the women who have accused him of sexually assaulting them. Fake news, biased media out to get him you say, well doesn’t that sound just like the excuses of Raniere and his followers.

Smack down comments don’t help anyone! People all have different experiences, different timing for realizations and regrets. Nothing positive is accomplished by demeaning other survivors for not behaving the way you believe they should have. Be kind everyone!

From your comment, I presume that you think Sarah Edmondson and Mark Vicente knew of crimes committed and ignored things. May I ask that instead of making generalized claims, that you be more specific as it would be easier to address?

As for not paying taxes: Please read my comment to rex2 as he also had an assumption that WE didn’t pay taxes. I reviewed this to the best of my ability and knowledge. Please note, that I was in the inner circle and did NOT know of them not paying taxes, being corrupt on a corrupt level financially, were bringing cash over the border from Mexico or other items. If I didn’t know it, and didn’t hear any other member speak of it either, then I think it is fair to say that MOST members were not aware of these kinds of crimes or tax evasion. I enrolled Mark Vicente in 2004, and then Mark enrolled Sarah Edmondson. I coached, supervised and mentored both. For several years I helped Sarah develop the Vancouver area and assisted in many enrollments with and for her such as: Alison Mack, Kristin Kreuk, Grace Parks and others. During my time with Sarah, I was not aware that she was not declaring commissions earned, nor did I tell her not to. If I could be involved for 9 years and DID pay my taxes, not knowing of anyone NOT paying taxes, then it is very possible that Sarah Edmondson (and maybe Mark Vicente) were not aware of this either. It is unfortunate that this blog and the media have made some very over-wide sweeping generalizations about what WE members did or didn’t know, or what WE participated in. After I left ten years ago, it is possible that they put into place some new gameplan to teach members to not pay taxes, and maybe Sarah and Mark went along with it. Perhaps, you will be able to ask them directly someday – and learn if they, like me, was not aware of this. Now, I will say that after I quit, that Kristin Keeffe informed me in 2015 that many prominent Mexicans were bringing cash over the border on the Bronfman’s plane, and other commercial airlines. I have also heard the rumor that Mark’s mom, Julianna, picked up mail at different PO Boxes. Did she know what was in the envelopes? Did she participate in not paying taxes? I don’t know, but do know that MOST of us were in the dark about many things.

As for ignoring things for years. What specifically do you think was ignored? Yes, there was abuse, punishment, favoritism, issues not being addressed and other things. But, this exists in any relationship, job, company or organization in various degrees. Based on what level you were subjected to it, or if you were in Keith’s inner circle, would determine what you “saw” or “knew.” I would not say I “ignored” these things during my 9 years, but rather, continually addressed, confronted and tried mightifyl to have them resolved. Eventually, like in any relationship, you weight the pros and cons. What I know is this, the more illuminating abuse occurred within a very small group of people in Albany within Keith’s inner circle. Which, I know a lot about having been in it for 9 years. Sadly, the overall community and how things ran also gets over-generalized to the point that the average outsider thinks it was so atrocious, that WE all knew about it, went along with it, did criminal things, etc. But, that is not exactly how it was. This area is a very complicated and lengthy one to articulate, especially in a short message like this. Hopefully, in time with further postings and comments, I will be able to bring about a better, deeper understanding. Until such time, I hope that you might reserve judgment based on the underlying “assumption” of what WE did know or did.

If you could provide questions (not accusations) that are more specific, then I might be better able to answer them more precisely.

I want to point out to everyone that Barbara is most likely telling the truth in regards to her taxes and her knowledge of the inner workings of NXIVM.
Barbara is an intelligent enough individual to be cognizant of the fact that making false public statements at this juncture would be a mistake. Barbara has actually addressed more topics and provided more information, in this comments section, than I was expecting to read in her actual future articles.

I just think she is giving us her time and we should give her the benefit of the doubt. Barbara has nothing to gain by sharing her personal story and information. I was a little skeptical until I read all of the comments she as taken the time to reply to.

She also seems to be fairly articulate so I am actually more excited to read her future articles.

I appreciate your support and encouragement in finally making some posts on your blog. I do so with trepidation given the many negative comments when any posts are written about me. But, I am taking a deep breath, and mustering up my courage to brave this new domain to begin sharing my story, and I appreciate your providing me a platform to do so.

After ten years since leaving NXIVM, I finally feel it is “safer” now for me to post given the last lawsuit against me was finally dismissed in 2017, and more significant, that Keith, Nancy, Clare, Lauren, Alison and Kathy were arrested in 2018 now awaiting a trial.

Recently, I was made aware by reliable sources that for over a year there has been a concerted effort by certain people to propagate a smear campaign to discredit me and diminish my role in the “arc” of the NXIVM take down story. I was suspicious this existed given the velocity of negative postings and comments on Frank’s blog, and horrified to discover it was much worse than I thought. I shared this “arc” to Frank, which he reported in this post with examples of that “arc.” This is not a true and accurate depiction of the “arc” of the NXIVM take down story.

I have refrained from speaking publicly (or in interviews) of things unfavorable about those who left NXIVM believing we are all “victims” of Keith not wanting to add further pain. I believed the focus was to keep my eye on the ball to fight and and bring Keith down. However, it appears being silent is no longer a good thing, nor the accumulating false accusations (many completely false, salacious, and slanderous) over ten years against me without my defending myself. This smear campaign and others items as brought me to a place that I feel it is incumbent upon me to no longer remain silent, defend myself, and share what I know.

I believe that I am uniquely qualified to share knowledge possessing such things as:

~20-year history due to my intimate relationship with Keith of 9 yrs
~Being a part of his inner circle
~Instrumental in helping to build NXIVM knowing much of its history
~Being Clare and Sara Bronfman’s Investment Adviser of 5 yrss
~Maintaining meticulous records I refused to give up or sign Keith’s gag orders (those 17 boxes and 5000 emails)
~Knowledge of many members and consultants who left and being dragged into their lawsuits
~Surviving 9 yrs. of litigation learning Keith’s corrupt legal tactics with its fraud by suing innocent people. Keith is a terrorist by its definition, and has employed a terrorist campaign designed to threaten, harass, falsely accuse, arrest all in attempt to silence detractors from sharing what they know by his misuse of courts and authorities as a weapon,
~8 govt agencies I gained access into and why most investigations went nowhere
~An overall general understanding and perspective.

It is my hope to inform, educate, clarify, and share my knowledge in order to foster a further understanding, compassion, empathy, and forgiveness for all parties involved. And shed light on why 17,000 people around the world took NXIVM workshops stating they received positive benefits, why so many good people like Sarah Edmondson, Mark Vicente and myself stayed for years, what caused good people to leave, and how Keith and his inner circle cleverly used many methods of manipulation, secrets, lack of transparency, undue influence and led members down their primrose path. I have my theory on why I think Keith got more narcissistic while his actions more corrupt (and evil) believing he was untouchable leading to his creating the DOS Women’s Secret Society with its horrific abuses.
My wish is that people remain open to what I might share, and that I can add to the body of knowledge to educate others so they do not fall prey to groups like NXIVM.

This is a brave thing to do, I applaud you! I applaud Frank as well for setting boundaries. (The trolling on this site, particularly against you, has been shocking, cruel, and unnecessary.) I hope everyone harmed by Nxivm can support each other. It’s in the best interest of all. Proud of you Barbara!

Dear Christine,
Thank you for being one of the brave ones who will comment in order to provide clarification, support and or to defend me. I know you have at times been viciously attacked, along with others, and am grateful for your willingness and courage to keep commenting in spite of it. It is my wish also to foster an environment where by ex-members are supported, and can support each other. I hope to foster more understanding, compassion and empathy with those never involved with NXIVM as they seek to understand better why so many good people were involved, and more of the inner world of NXIVM. My wish is to inspire more forgiveness for everyone. NO ONE KNOWING JOINS A CULT. And, neither did I. I recall it was one month after I left NXIVM that I realized that “OMG, I was in a cult!” after doing some research on the topic. Thank you for being one of my greatest supporters over the years and helping me to traverse the challenging events and trauma.
Love,
Barbara

The one image I have burned in my mind was the day you went to court (after the monumental legal fees had bankrupted you) and you could no longer afford an attorney. You had to represent yourself in courtroom against a room full of vicious, unethical superattorneys – AND THEY STILL. COULD. NOT. BEAT. YOU!! You are a hero just for surviving girlfriend!!

Dear tex2,
I agree wholeheartedly! One of my concerns was that I am often attacked negatively by annonymous comments, and that makes if very difficult to respond or address their concerns, accusations, or questions. By knowing “who” the person is it will help me understand better where their comments and or facts are coming from. Sometimes people repeat heresay or may blame without any real knowledge or facts. My request of Frank is that if I move forward to post, and do my best to respond to questions, that it would be better to have the “real name” of the person should they want to refute my facts, accuse or blame me. Frank graciously agreed to this which is what provides me some degree of comfort in finally speaking after ten years. It is my wish to answer questions and respond. Frank further stated he would censor annonymous comments aid to slander, defame and accuse me of some kind of wrongdoing – which sadly, is done often. I have read comments accusing me of criminal actions that are completely untrue. Thank you for your comment tex2.
Barbara

Dear Annonymous,
That is a good question. What I can say is this: Those who “know me well” state that I very upfront, straightforward, honest and tries to speak objectively, and as best I can tell both the good and bad. Often, I am ridiculed and judged for saying there was any good within NXIVM. However, there was and it is why so many good people came through the doors, and many stayed for years. There is an extraordinary amount of information, facts and evidence I have provided through the 13 lawsuits dragged into by NXIVM & Bronfmans – and – provided when I could legally to media stemming 10 years. My relationship with the Albany Times Union reporters spans 10 years. One of the reasons I agreed to be on their upcoming panel discussion is because they stated to me, “Barbara, our long standing relationship with you has found you to be always be honest, straightforward and your facts consistent provided.” The TU reporters are looking to investigate, report true facts, and verify information provided. I can tell you that I will do my best to portray the facts as I recall them truthfully. Should there be a particular question you want to ask, then I will respond. If I have evidence to support my facts, then I will provide them. Thank you for your comment, and I look forward to providing what I know.
Barbara

Ms. Bouchey,
You say those that know you say your very upfront, straightforward, honest. How are we to believe that when you covered up for you lover for almost a decade?

Did you know from the beginning that Mr. Raniere was having multiple girlfriends before you became sexually involved with him?

If not, why would you stay with a man would lie to you about having a monogamous relationship with you and become part of his harem?

Ms. Bouchey, why pretend he was an honest, ethical man to the hundreds, maybe thousands who came through the doors of NXIVM during your tenure of being a girlfriend-executive board member after he proved he was a liar on such a personal level?

I’ve read some of your court documents that have been posted and stories. Raniere promised to pay you back the millions he lost in the commodities market, for years he never did. Why did you let him get away with that?

Do you ever wonder of the thousands you could have saved from this abusive group by being honest, truthful and straightforward about his lies and immorality within the first couple of years?

How are we to trust you now? I don’t live in the Albany area, it’s too much of a drive for me to come. If your going to use the Frank Report as an outlet, it seems fair to answer questions from those of use who cant make the drive.

Anonymous: You ask, “How can we be assured Ms. Bouchey’s information is accurate?”

These days, we often have no assurance that information is accurate. That holds true whether it is on a blog or on mainstream media or even in the ‘newspaper of record’, The NY Times. We just have to make our own best decision. As for me, I’m inclined to Ms. Bouchey the benefit of the doubt.

Yes, I agree there are not always assurances if information is accurate. We can only do our best to listen, research, verify, evaluate and decide what seems true for each of us.

Often, when I read the media/blog stories, I know of the many inaccuracies cited. It is far more than you ever imagine. Personally, I find most media stories focus on the dark, bizarre, and abusive elements – and – rarely ever tell any of the good. What this does is not portray an accurate depiction of the inner world of NXIVM and its community. Nor, what was good there about the people, the curriculum, coaching, activities and community good will. This only causes people to make assumptions it was ALL bad, people were brainwashed, fools, stupid, blind followers, and bad.

However, in my opinion from being an integral part of that community and being one who helped build it – that is not true. The only way to truly inform and educate people about the dangers of groups like this is to tell the WHOLE STORY both good and bad. Only then will people come to learn, understand and know what to look for. It is my heartfelt wish to help foster that understanding – and be a voice (although rare these days) who can objectively speak to both the good and bad. For, there was a lot of good there, which is why good people came and stayed.

And, thank you for giving me the “benefit of the doubt” as that is all I hope for. In time as I speak more of what I know, I hope that more people grant me that, too.

I’m inclined to doubt her, as I do everybody until I get more confidence in what they’re saying, such as being consistent with what they say over a period of time, consistent with others, etc. Also, if they selectively answer some questions and not others, that’s a red flag.

I appreciate your saying so niceguy! Yes, I agree and know from being there that most were “good” people while Keith and his inner circle cleverly concealed many things and critical facts from us. Some of us knowing far less than what has emerged today, left years ago causing Keith to be even more strategic in how they operated. I, too, am glad that Frank is going to put in place a process where people like me can share our stories, without being cruelly attacked. Many of us have paid a dear price from having been involved. As for myself, I have endured a malicious legal attack, being terrorized, stalked, followed, threatened and cruelly harassed directed by Keith. I have endured an enormous amount of losses, trauma and public humiliation spanning ten years. Most are not aware that for years before leaving I confronted Keith and his inner circle, boycotted, stepped down from the board, stopped enrolling all in an effort to address what I could “see” of the abuses going on. Further, my efforts to help support members who left, to fight, and help bring Keith down never stopped. As a leader, I felt responsible for having enrolled many and to build NXIVM. Because of that, I have continued as best I can to make amends and help stop Keith from harming more people. My penance if you will for my years of involvement has been large. But, my silver lining and gift are the many lessons learned, and has made me a far better person today possessing a greater depth of compassion, forgiveness, empathy and love for all the victims of NXIVM, and elsewhere in the world having endured pain at the hands of those who manipulate.
Thank you for your words of encouragement and support!
Barbara

I would like to respond “honestly” to your questions, however, I don’t have time to do so right now, but will do so tomorrow. Btw, my cousin’s name is Chrissy, and not Krissie. As for how she is doing, she passed away in 2008. More tomorrow. Have a good night.

Thank you for asking about my cousin Chrissy, who was my best friend, and passed away in 2008. I miss her presence, love, friendship and guidance dearly – everyday. She took her first NXIVM workshop two months after I did mine. We both became apprentice coaches at the same time. Chrissy was a high ranking coach teaching many Ethos classes and loved the community. She also was fully aware of my intimate with Keith from day one. Yes, she did have a muscular handicap with severe scoliosis and muscles atrophied to the point she was having seizures. One occurred while she was driving causing her car to flip, which severed her spinal cord. She left NXIVM a few years before me and tried to convince me to leave as well. A year before I quit, she was optimistic I might leave soon, because I had been contemplating it quite awhile. Sadly, she died 6 months before I quit. But, I know she would be relieved and happy I left, and proud that I never stopped helping others to leave while fighting Keith hoping to bring him down. If she was alive, I believe she’d be right alongside of me helping, too.

Did she suffer financially at the hands of Keith? No, not that I know of. Chrissy was a smart, successful owner of a mortgage brokerage co. leaving a large estate when she died. She did lend a sizeable amount of money to Keith and Nancy, which was paid off in full two years later including 12% annual interest. By financial standards, that’s a great return. So, I guess you could say she profited handsomely at the hands of Keith in that regard. I will say that the coaches were not paid appropriately, and in that regard she lost. Although, she ran her company full time while and her NXIVM involvement was part-time.

How many people did you I enroll? I believe my organization when I left was about 700? Of that, my guess is directly enrolled few hundred, and indirectly assisting others the remainder? I did weekly #800 intro calls where anyone could listen, so I may have had an impact there. And, if someone asked me to help them enroll a person they knew, I would always assist.

How much did I earn from my 9 years with NXIVM and did I pay taxes? My Quickbooks shows $650,000 commissions earned (I was not paid for any other work performed), which also was reported on my tax returns paying tax. An average of $72,000 a year. In the early years it was higher but later years far less as I stopped enrolling to boycott thinking it would give me leverage for issues to be addressed.

Yes, I am, and have always been, in an “honest” tell all mode. Starting today, I am telling it on a blog with a larger audience.

As for your “part of the harem” comment, in my opinion it’s unkind. You are welcome to ask more “inquiring” questions and I will do my best to answer truthfully, however, I would respectfully request that you leave out unkind comments.

Thank you for taking the time to share your story. I do not believe most of your critics understand the hell you went through between the civil and criminal courts; and everything else you endured. Whatever punishment/penalty your critics believe you deserve you have no doubt paid it and then some. Barbara you chose to stand up and fight instead of walking away. You are a strong woman and good person. I wish you the best.

Thank you for taking the time to read my comments. Yes, most do not know the degree of “hell” and the nightmare I have endured almost ten years now. And, the little I have shared thus far, or what is out there in the media, does not convey all that they did. These were no normal lawsuits, or people attacking you. Their tactics were mafia-like, threatening, stalking, terrorizing, and painful daily, nonstop for years. I would bore you if I provided the details of all that they did or overwhelm you with how dark it truly was. For years I could not make ends meet frightened I could not afford attorneys, and forced to write legal briefs, filings and memos of law in order to stay in the game defending myself. Many times I could not find attorneys to represent me given NXIVM’s reputation was well known. Or, attorneys I did get were not the best nor a match for the unethical conduct of their attorneys – some of them real pit-bulls.

I could have gone quiet into the night when leaving NXIVM, but I chose not to. As a leader, I felt responsible for enrolling people and cared for their well-being. And so, I started the first revolution and have never given up, never surrendered. Yes, I do believe if people really knew all that I endured, the losses incurred, pain and suffering, years of nightly anxiety attacks, costs I have paid, my business reputation and clients leaving, and being so traumatized for years that I moved thousands of miles away to a city not knowing a single soul to start my life over – gain distance – not walk down a street where people thought I was the evil banker from the dark side. I do believe the price I have paid over these ten years, and my efforts to stop Keith, is penance enough. I am grateful that my adverse childhood gave me tools to navigate challenges, and built within me an inner strength to survive, and keep fighting.

Thank you for your lovely words of encouragement and support. It means a lot to me, and I draw strength from you.

It’s true that someone may use a fictitious name, however, should someone want to accuse, blame, refute, or state a different version of facts than mine – then if I know “who” they are, I will be better able to gage if they are real and could even know what they are talking about. I knew many people at NXIVM, and they would need to be someone I knew in order to make certain claims or accusations against me. If it is not a name that I know, then I will begin to ask questions as to who, how, and when they know or their source. Often, things are propagated from one person to another – and they assume it’s true. There is a lot of hearsay, rumours, and false things propagated anonymously on this blog. It is my belief that some of the more harsh, false, slanderous comments about me are done by people I actually know who may want to discredit, diminish and portray me in a negative light. I even welcome their questions and comments, however, let’s do it in an honest, open, straightforward way and have a genuine dialog of the facts. I am also open to them sending a message privately as long as they reveal their name.

Besides having the decency to simply man (or woman) up, which admitedly is grossly lacking on this website, Frank could ask for an established social media account (not a newly created one), websites you own or have commented on, other online evidence regarding your name, ask you for your address/phone number, etc. I’m sure Frank has other methods in mind as well.

I appreciate and value your saying that shadowstate1958. When those of us who went into battle with NXIVM or the Bronfmans, we went up against 22 of their attorneys from 7 prominent law firms. Based on my experience of being dragged into 13 lawsuits, their court filings were filled with salacious, false accusations, lies, fraud, deceit and as much mud they could throw at a wall to make you “appear” guilty and attempt to prejudice the court against you. Further, many of those lawyers knowingly spoke untrue facts, and fudged the line often in court. Even with such outlandish false accusations that I stole the Bronfman’s money. It took an act of courage on behalf of those of us who unfortunately got sued to fight them in court, and an inner strength to keep fighting for the truth. Eventually, almost every lawsuit brought was dismissed. This Judge in Brooklyn court, however, appears to not be falling for any of their shenanigans, and is not giving them an inch, while holding them accountable. I have great confidence he will oversee the trial in the same manner. Let’s hope that more truth keeps emerging, and that Keith et are held accountable with prison time, and justice is finally served.
Kind Regards,
Barbara

Thank you for your comments, although I will say they are harsh. Frank was very mindful by telling me he would not post comments that had cruel commentary, and reviewed your comment with me thinking it fell into that category. However, I told him to post it anyways, and that I would like to respond.

Let’s start with the easiest comments:

Was I in it for the money? Absolutely not. I addressed this in detail on this post to Anonymous at 9:14 PM if you could kindly read that. In summary, I was grossing $1.0 million in my own business, and could have grossed $2.0 annually within 5 years had I devoted my time to building it versus building NXIVM. The majority of the jobs I performed at NXIVM – I was NOT paid for. Yes, I earned some commissions, but it was a pittance compared to what I earned in my own company. The percentage of NXIVM earnings over my years there was an average of less than 10% of what I was earning in my company.

Am I “dumb as rocks?” No, I am not. I find myself to be an intelligent, astute, perceptive, mindful, honest, straightforward and gracious person. My career as a Financial Planner spanning over 34 years demonstrates my capabilities in being a successful business person, and my clients (and those who know me well) find me to be trustworthy, responsible, reliable and integrous. With that being said, I am human, make bad decisions and mistakes, have had many failures and try to do my best to learn from them. No matter how smart someone is, we all can fall prey to those around us who are not honest, and take advantage of us. I, too, have had many experiences of that. And, if along the way I have harmed someone, I try to make amends.

“There are no victims in NXIVM” you state. Well, I guess that depends on how you define a victim? If someone knowingly lies, deceives, cons, coerces, withholds critical information from you to influence your decision-making, steals money from you all of which then causes you harm, loss or pain – has that person been victimized? Perhaps, you think not, but I do. If by leaving NXIVM, Keith then subjects you to a malicious, legal attack when you are innocent lasting for years because of his power, influence and ability to wrongfully use the court system and authorities as a weapon to threaten, harass, stalk, abuse and cause you unspeakable pain and losses – has that person been victimized? Perhaps, you think not, but I do.

It may be that we have different views of what a victim is. I will respectfully accept yours, and hope that you might do the same with me.

Should you want to comment further, that is welcomed. However, if your comments are insulting, then Frank may not post it, and I might not respond. I kindly request of you to do so in a more respectful way. In this world there are two ways to ask a question or convey your thoughts. One, to say it in a mean, punishing way. Or, two, to say it in a nice way. I have found that it is much better to be nice. Kindness and graciousness are good traits, and I hope that both of us can try to do that as best we can.

I’m hoping now the Frank report can get back to how it was when I first discovered it a year ago. Frank, I don’t think the majority of readers would mind if you censored all nasty,rude and hateful comments whether they are directed to Barbara or not. If people can’t engage in a civilized conversation and respect different opinions then they don’t deserve to be part of the Frank report. This report has provided so much critical information that it is widely read from people from all different social, economical and educational backgrounds. Let’s all elevate this report to where it rightly belongs. I look forward to hearing from Barbara and the spirited healthy debates that follow.

I appreciate your concerns. No one knows better than I about Keith’s mafia-like ways and ability to terrorize and stalk his detractors.

Three years ago, I hired a consultant to help me become not so easily found. Reason being is I had for 7 years been stalked, followed, private investigators harassing me and those I knew, people pretending to be clients calling FINRA saying I stole their money, they hacked into my banking/emails/phone records to trace me, and even learned they were plotting to kidnap me to throw me in a dark prison in Mexico never to be seen again. And so, I now live in a location across the country where my address is not listed anywhere, my car is licensed in a state and my driver’s license in another state while I don’t live in either, my utilities and such are in others name, my phone in a friend’s name, and my paycheck gets deposited into a friend’s account where I use a debit so they can’t see where I am. It’s not foolproof, but better than living under the nose.

I, too, worry that if Keith et al are not convicted that based on their history of retaliation that I will be on the short list to harass. But, this has been going on for ten years now, and it NEVER stopped me from fighting and trying to stop them. I have had to learn to live under these types of circumstances, and to keep my attitude positive and spirits bright. I’ve become someone who is very “present” in my life taking in all around me and enjoying what I can. Today, I wake up grateful to not fear looking at my emails for another 400 pg bombshell filing by them accusing me of salacious things; or when my phone rings wondering what court crisis occurred, or constantly looking over my shoulder worried.

Today, I wake up, make my eggs, sip my tea, watch the birdies, and have deep gratitude for my life, and all I have learned. And, experience the most enormous relief knowing he is in jail, and am very happy that those of us who fought hard to stop him finally won – even if for a little while. People around me not knowing my story ask if I am in love saying I look ten years younger. I tell them, “No, I am not in love, but my ex-boyfriend who stalked me for ten years is in jail, and that would take ten years off anyone’s life!” And so, although I do sleep more soundly at night, I am not totally safe until the outcome of the trial is known. I will cross that bridge when it happens, and evaluate what is best to protect myself should they not be convicted. Thank you for asking and I hope this answers your questions.

Barbara, I’m interested in what you thought when you first heard Keith was the “man with the highest IQ in the world” Judo champ at 12yo, and ran the fastest 10 yard dash, spoke full sentences at 1 etc.. and where you placed that in ranking your opinion of him. Truthfully when I first heard these things I thought what a load of crap and who cares if you won the 10 yard dash. It reeks of a preteen boast. I assume you are a very critical thinker being a successful financial planner dealing in facts. What gives?

When I first became involved it was back in March 2000. I had known the President, Nancy Salzman, for 12 years who was a well-respected therapist in my area. I admired and respected her tremendously. She knew of my so called rags to riches story having come from humble beginnings and was self-made. Six months prior to taking my first workshop, she began trying to convince me to take some of their classes. However, at the time my husband and I had been in marriage counseling for two years, and I had no interest. My best childhood friend had committed suicide, and then I had asked for a divorce, and that is when she finally convinced me that the workshop saying it would help me in that transition and grief.

For six months leading up to my first workshop, she told me all about Keith, including his Guinness World Record High IQ, his tremendous success with Consumers Buyline, etc., but it didn’t matter to me, cause I still wasn’t going to take the workshop. Although I had no reason to doubt her. Shortly after my first workshop, Keith showed me his copy of the Guiness Book (he had 10 copies). I also met his father, Jim who told me of Keith’s athelitic abilities as Judo, how they had him test when age 7 discovering his intellect, and how they could not keep up with education to meet his mind. And so, there were no red flags going off thinking these things were an exaggeration.

What did impress me though was when I took my workshop (22 days long). It was truly profound and life changing. The topics explored, awareness gained, and the material content in my opinion was truly extraordinary. I had been around the block over the years taking personal growth programs, coached by some of the financial industry top people, even Tony Robbins. In comparison, this was like a master’s degree vs the others as grade school. My critical thinking was applied into evaluating the program, results, philosophy, coaches, and overall outcome of my own personal development.

It was true that many promoted Keith’s accolades, but from my perspective, the true mustard was taking the workshop and results achieved personally. During my time there, 10,000 people came through the doors. Since I oversaw the Field Trainers and Sales & Marketing, I knew if someone wanted to leave the workshop. Very rarely did anybody want to leave a five day intensive.

Thanks for answering. It helps to better understand how you first got involved with these vile human beings and how anyone can get swept in. I’m curious to know if you’re worried about damaging the prosecution’s case by speaking out now. I think it’s safe to assume you’re a witness.

As much as I want to believe Barbara’s story, I find some parts of her NXIVM story unbelievable.

For instance, Barbara claims to have ‘loaned’ around $2 million dollars (of her personal savings) to Keith in order to help him fund a commodity investment idea.

However, this ‘loan’ transaction sounds implausible and resembles more of a ‘gift’ for several reasons:

1) Barbara supposedly made this multi-million dollar loan ‘verbally’ to Keith, which just isn’t logical regardless of her personal affection for him (boyfriends/girlfriends are not excluded from IRS loan rules and a certified financial planner would have known that making a multi-million dollar loan would need documentation for IRS purposes — in order to prove it wasn’t “new taxable income” when Keith repaid that money back to her in the future).

*Or… If she was trying to hide Keith’s ownership of that ‘loan’ money (by not transferring it to Keith’s own trading account) then that’s just not a legal loan. That would be very nefarious financial activity IF it happened like that (I’m not saying it happened like that).

She didn’t even get Keith to write his ‘initials’ on a kitchen napkin to confirm what the repayment terms and time frame would be. Legally speaking, that’s just not a real loan and Barbara would have known that (as a financial planner).

2) If it was a real ‘loan’ then IRS rules would have required her to charge interest using a legit ‘market rate’ (which she didn’t charge). Also, IRS rules would have required her to receive periodic payments of interest and/or principal from Keith, as outlined in the LOAN agreement which Barbara ‘claims’ Keith agreed to. She apparently did NONE of these things which tells me it was most likely a gift from a woman who loved her Vanguard more than anything (rather than a ‘loan’ from a professional financial planner who truly intended it as a loan from the start).

3) The fact that Barbara immediately asked for ALL of this money back the MOMENT she decided to break up with Keith (for cheating on her) paints a picture of an angry girlfriend asking for a gift back when the relationship went south.

If it was a real ‘loan’ then she wouldn’t have WAITED until breaking up with him before demanding that he pay any of that money back. Otherwise, this ‘loan’ could have continued for 50 years if they never broke up (i.e. it’s clear she would have never asked for that money back had Barbara not caught Keith cheating on her). That’s not a loan, it’s a gift.

*If I’m mistaken about any of those details, feel free to correct me since I only know what Frank wrote in previous articles. This is just my opinion based upon the details that I’ve read from Frank’s articles.

I am considering addressing your comments to clarify things for you, but before deciding, I have some observations:

~I am surprised Frank allowed your comments as your “real name” is required if mean, insulting or defamatory, which in my opinion yours is. This suggests to me that you and Frank may know each other and he granted you this liberty?

~You say wanting to believe me, but this seems unbelievable. It appears you are more intent on disbelieving

~Yes, your comments are “criticisms” and furthermore, they are done in an insulting, demeaning and even defamatory way.

In my opinion, you are more intent on:

~ridiculing me

~making it seem as if I’m lying

~making it appear that I might not have properly reported or recorded my commodity account implying tax fraud

~demeaning by saying I “loved my Vanguard” when in this context he was my boyfriend, not a Vanguard, making it also disrespectful

~Many of your statements are not “facts” but rather assumptions, which are false

~Clearly, you did not research nor read everything – or – perhaps you are just saying that to hide who you really are or may have an agenda to discredit me?

Because I asked for the commodity loss money Keith owed many times over the years. Plus, I’ve maintained learning of three women in the early years (maybe said in this post too?)

~Insulting stating I’d only ask to be paid back because Keith was “cheating on me” and “angry the relationship went south” (which is false) versus Keith lost my life savings and I have a good reason to want and ask for it back.

~You lack empathy for the fact that I grew up poor, put myself through college, worked hard, managed to save that $1.7 million Keith lost – and – you lack sympathy for the fact that Keith was a con-artist who lost my life savings never paying me back stringing me along – and – when I quit asking again (in writing) he knowingly lied claiming extortion trying to have me arrested. Where is your ridicule towards Keith?

~Yes, you are “mistaken” and made lots of assumptions (not facts) if you think everything on this blog is true or accurate, which it is not

~Yes, this is your “opinion” and a rather jaded one in “my opinion” – not to mention – disheartening since you don’t allow for any benefit of doubt, nor are you curious, or just simply directly ask me questions versus harsh criticisms designed to make me look bad

~Okay, I don’t agree you honoured Frank wishes, and more importantly, you didn’t honour mine

And so, Bangkok, since you seem to want the true facts, would it not be better for us, and our readers, to have a genuine true exchange by starting with your real name?

And, I am curious about a couple things:
~Why the need for a commentary that is jaded and intent on proving me discreditable?

~If we don’t know each other with your having some personal issue, then why so much pessimism and negativity towards me?

I look forward to possibly addressing things further and would actually like to provide clarification. But, let’s see how you think about what I shared. Maybe the readers can weigh in as well?

Barb,
The person posting most currently as “Bangkok” has regularly attacked other posters without reason. He claims to have no NXIVM connections, yet fails to explain his interest in this forum (an interest which seems too obsessive to be explained away as idle curiousity.)

As for Scott’s comment that Bangkok’s remarks to you were not rude, I would have to disagree. Bangkok’s method of questioning is to attack with unfounded accusations and assumptions – he does not act in good faith. As is usual for him (or perhaps “her”).

There were plenty of valid questions in Bangkok’s post, regarding the loan terms, etc. Quit dodging the salient questions and misusing the “rude” criteria. Bangkok was more than fair, especially if you consider his previous comments.

Let’s assume the questions are valid. Of all people, why does Scott “Tex” Johnson have a problem with Bancock being asked to provide some context of where he/she is coming from?

Since day 1 of her arrival, Bangcock asks very pointed and aggressive questions – yet has refused to give anyone a hint of her background or currentground with NXIVM. Who is you, Bangocky? Or at the least what rock did you crawl out from under?

I can appreciate your view, and I hope you can appreciate mine as well.

I personally found Bangkok’s comments (and some in the past) to come from a pessimistic, doubting and accusatory fashion. Believe it or not, I really want to address his comments, and firmly believe he won’t be so harsh after realizing just how many “mistakes” he has assumed and made. But I first would like Bangkok to be more civil, curious, and answer questions too. I am not dodging his comments and very feel confident the readers will enjoy my clarifications.

Perhaps, we should take a poll from the readers and get their take on whether Bangkok is being harsh, accusatory and discrediting me through his criticism facts? I’m open to feedback, are you?

And, this is the type of thing that I believe is harmful and a way to cast doubt anonymously on myself – and others. It also causes people to be afraid to comment or use their name. I think we can all agree that most times someone defends me they are viciously attacked. It is my wish to see anyone attack another on this blog. Is it not possible to simply remain curious, open minded, and ask questions without coming from a negative, critical, skeptical place?

Scott, I think you are doing that too right now by suggesting I’m “dodging” by claiming Bangkok is rude?

If I’m willing to put my name behind my facts – then why should not Bangkok? After all, revealing their name does not subject “them” to harm on asking questions about my commodity account – does it?

In closing, I may respond to Bangkok even if they do not reveal their name, but will do so after they respond to why the degree of negativity towards me. Does that not seem fair? And I have not shied away from any other question thus far, and have given well rounded answers with facts as I know them. In fact, I have a post ready to go specifically about my commodity account with supporting documentation.

I surmise given the thorough reading and research Bangkok states doing regarding my commodity account, and the degree of thought in their comments that they very much want some answers from me. Therefore, I am hoping it is worth being civil with me in order to receive them.

So, Bangkok, the ball is in your court. I hope and look forward to a toss back.

Barbara, I would think you have read the comments here on Frank report in the past. If you are just starting to read the comments, you will quickly learn which comments are a waste of time and simply skip over them.
The majority of the commenters here had nothing to do with NXVIM, and know absolutely nothing other then what they have read and believe to be true based on there own interpretation.

I fear she joined and the worst happened to her. She’s from Clifton park and i guess i’m now hearing one of the last things she said to her dad was “i joined some kinda cult..” read the article atleast and see if she rings a bell, please 🙂

Dear Nutjob,
Yes, it would seem that we should have a supportive relationship, however, we do not. There was a time a couple months after I quit NXIVM when I first talked to Toni, and we became very close for about a year. On and off over the years we have talked and met. But, there are various reasons why that relationship has some tension and broke down which I will shed further insight later as my time is short right now.
Thank you for asking.
Kind regards,
Barbara

Barbara,
Thanks for answering everyone’s questions so thoroughly and intelligently.

The only question I have is during your time at NXIVM did you notice that Keith had any strong political affiliations or motivations? The only reason I ask is because recently it seems this blog has concentrated on politics and has made a point of repeatedly featuring stories about political figures that have some NXIVM connections.

As for Vaed’s question, do you think anyone who joined NXIVM would have actually told people that they had “joined some kinda cult?” Did anyone realize it WAS a cult at the time they joined?

Barbara, I truly admire your rags to riches story and how you became a successful Financial Advisor. As a fellow Financial Advisor, I know just how difficult it can be and would love some pointers someday since I live in the area where you had your business. How did you allow KR to invest in the Commodities Market, all “eggs in one basket” mindset? How did you choose to remain with KR when you discovered that he had a harem and that you were one of many? What was your mindset? You also made some, even though very little commissions with NXIVM, did you report on your U4 that you were working with them? Just curious. Also, you mentioned in one of your comments that you lived in one state, had your car registered in another and had your income deposited in the account of another, isn’t that illegal? I do wish you well and hopefully you can move forward from this nightmare.

Having managed to read all your posts, I am left in shock particularly to hear you ended up representing yourself in court, against dozens of very experienced lawyers AND not having an LL.B.. In fact, I would have been very stressed having to represent myself against a phalanx of such legal ‘mercenary commandos”, had I had an LL.B.. People like you remind me that my own challenges/problems really amount to trivia by comparison.

To the extent of your knowledge of Clare, in what measure do you believe she will realise the train she had embarked on when joining NXIUM travelled to a different destination that anticipated? As much as you know her, is she the type of person to admit failure to herself (not necessarily to close friends) and move on attempting to avoid a repeat in the future?

An ex-NXIUM member mentioned on this site, Clare had a very patronising attitude in social interaction at least with some members if not most perhaps, during her initial period in the organisation, even when people were being nice to her in an effort to welcome her inside the group. How have you seen her thinking evolve or change over the years?